This invention relates to three component blends of high density polyethylene with specified copolymers and combinations of copolymers that are particularly useful for rotational molding and relates also to the structures produced therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,261,889 discloses a blend of a low density polyethylene and an ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer to improve environmental stress crack resistance (ESCR). (A table of abbreviations is presented at the end of this specification.) The three component blends of this invention have the ESCR improvement significantly above that achieved via a two component blend due to the unexpected synergism of the blend components. the conventional rotational molding resins and blends it is customary to use polyethylene of narrow molecular weight distribution and with low melt flow to achieve high impact strength. These prior resins are difficult to process apparently due to their high apparent melt viscosity. They are generally not warp resistant. It has been known to blend EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer) with polyethylene in order to improve the impact strength of the resin. However, polyethylene-EVA copolymer blends are not nearly as effective as the blends of this invention in improved impact resistance of rotomolded structures. In addition, these prior and conventional rotational molding blends containing polyethylene do not have the above advantages of the blends of this invention.